The Queen's Shadow
by iHeartE.D
Summary: He never left her side. Shy but never afraid. He was her reflection: wispy, wild hair, pale skin, eyes bluer than the summer sky, and mannerisms that were so strangely reserved for a small boy. Since the day he was born, he trailed after her like he was just an extension of her shadow. (I rather like the idea of Elsa having a son, so I'm giving it a test run!) R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its affiliated characters. I just own the story and the little boy that you don't yet know about**

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_From A Distance_

He peered at her from the doorway, an inconspicuous shadow among the silence of the castle halls, admiring her from the distance. Her long, silver blonde tresses hung limp against her back in wavy tendrils that had long been released from the braid she tamed her mane with. The Queen of Arendelle, so regal, so celestial, so ethereal-all words he was too young yet to understand-but did not stop him from repeating them like a cycle over and over again in his head. Even now, more silent than any castle mouse, he could see the greater beauty in the being who sat by firelight reading her documents of import. Someday, she would say as he climbed upon her lap on occasion, this would all be his inheritance as the sole heir to her throne in a great lineage of royalty. A King. The King.

"I can see you." Her voice, powerful and confident, startled him. She was perfectly capable of raising her voice, yet she need not do so. The authority permeated from her every movement and the command with which she spoke was soft, yet strong like iron.

When he did not reply, as a result of his paralyzed fear at having been caught, she caught his gaze with her fiery blue eyes, "Come in, sweetheart."

His chest caught with genuine excitement and he barreled shyly through the doorway with his head tucked downwards. She caught him in her arms and swung him easily upwards.

"And what are you doing up so late?" It was a soft, motherly chide, but a punishment nonetheless. She rarely did any sort of punishing that was physical or loud because it was not in her nature. Nor was it in his, either. They had much in common, this matching duo. For so little a boy, he was as endless a mystery as his mother when it came to explanations.

"I had a dream."

She chuckled.

"Not a bad one." He supplied quickly. Quietly.

"A good one?"

"No, not that either." Cold, familiar, fingers ghosted across his skin as she tucked them beneath his chin and raised his eyes to hers. Sapphires. Glittering blue with the orange flame of the fire dancing across the surface. The castle servants and all whom had seen him since his birth swore that he was the mirrored reflection of his mother. Handsome, they all said, one day he would be so stunningly handsome that women would fall prey to his charming good looks. It all sounded so unpleasant.

"That is very serious. Should we sneak to the kitchen and find something sweet?"

He nodded exuberantly. A grin expanded across his chubby, rose tinted cheeks. Giggling, she let him down to walk and he waited for her to take his hand. Together they made their way down the sleeping halls, mother and son. Mirror reflections. Behind them trailed a small flurry of snowflakes that dissipated seconds after they landed on the old, reliable carpets. It appeared that they shared the gift, although his was more towards the manipulation of water and how he could create it from the air around him. With a little force of concentration and will power, he could make it snow or make it drizzle. His cousins, two spritely children with wild reputations, enjoyed that most about him.

"Chocolate for me," she said as they finally found the kitchen. From the reserves of quality food, his mother found a few trays of delectable truffles, and stole just a few. Then a few more. Ate one, then stole another. She winked at him which caused the young Prince to stifle his childish laughter.

"And a piece of cake just for you." From another silver tray she sliced a generous piece of strawberry and vanilla cake. They feasted on the floor of the kitchen, the prince happily devouring his decently sized serving while his mother tried to steal bites. He shared, of course. They always shared.

"Do you think that Gerda will notice?" Chewing and talking at the same time proved to be harder than he thought. Messier, too.

"If you're asking me whether or not your Aunt Anna will be blamed, then I think yes." He loved her laughter. He loved everything about her. As far as mothers went, she could not be a better one as far as he was concerned. Aunt Anna had her perks but she was not his mother. There was no other suitable companion than the one right beside him at the moment.

His cousins were far too encumbered by their exhaustion in the evening that they could not keep their eyes open long enough to sneak out and play. They were also too lazy at night to travel from the East Wing to the West Wing. Morning people, his mother explained, which was very ironic considering that Anna spent most of her time sleeping in. The only reasonable explanation would be Kristoff, his very large, mountainous Uncle. Ice harvesting was best done at the peak before the crack of dawn. His children certainly took after him in that regard. Early to bed, early to rise.

Now if he had a brother or a sister, much like the one his mother had lost seconds after his birth, he would be occupied all of the time. Although it was a somber subject to bring up as he once discovered when he was old enough to ask about the things that the servants sometimes whispered. His mother gently explained that his brother, who would have been the third look-alike, did not make it. After that, once he had seen her shed her diamond tears, not one servant ever spoke of it again. Following their suit example, he never begged for a little brother or little sister again in his prayers. Besides, he had his mother all to himself, and that was exactly how he liked it.

"If you're finished, my little sleepwalker, we should get you back to bed." Ruffling his hair, which was already in a chaotic everyday disarray, she stood up to her full height and reached a slender hand out for his.

Not wanting to be alone, not out of loneliness, but because he did not want to go, he took her hand and dared to ask, "May I stay with you tonight?"

"I still have paperwork, darling. Weaseltown has sent another trade correspondence and you know how prompt we like to be with our rejections." He understood what that meant. He was seven and quite mature, so she told him many things. When it came to their powers, she had arranged for Kristoff to take them up the North Mountain so that she could teach him about his blooming powers. That was one year ago. Not even his cousins knew about the Great Freeze, which he considered himself to be a historian of sorts and cut above their level. Edith had a year on his seven and Thomas had at least five. Where they had age, he had brains.

"I can sleep while you work!" He offered. She may have argued, but he had won out when they passed his bedroom door and found their way to hers.

"I suppose you can, but if you're not sleeping by the time I'm finished, I'll call for Olaf." Ah yes, the charismatic snowman that never slept. He was always wandering around somewhere.

"Okay! Okay. I'll sleep. I promise!" He giggled as she scooped him up into her arms. The room was bathed in firelight and warmth, which he quite liked.

"You are my favorite shadow. I just can't go anywhere without you, do you know that?" The softness of the world did not compare to the sinking comfort of his mother's bed, not even his own. It was one half of the reason why he always came to her room at night. The other half was being tucked in by her for a second time.

"That's because I go where you go!" He said excitedly, pushing the quilt away the second she pulled it up. Shocked by his surprise attack, she fell backwards onto the bed and laughed.

"What would I ever do without my shadow following me around?"

"You wouldn't have one!"

"Too right you are, now it's time for bed! You need to rest like your lazy cousins." She pushed him gently down against the soft mattress and brought the blankets to his chin.

"I love you, mama."

"I love you more, Finn." Prince Frederick "Finn" of Arendelle. Only Finn, never Frederick. It was her name for him that meant more to him than when his cousins teasingly referred to him as Freddy. It also sounded better.

"Goodnight." A peck on the forehead and she was back at her desk again, glowing just as she was before he had been caught. In all of the nights he had ever fallen asleep, this was his favorite way: safe in his mother's room, warm beneath the blankets, and heavy with sleep. It was not long after she had tucked him in that Finn finally slipped into an undisturbed slumber.

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**_I just wanted to test this idea out. I thought about her having a husband, but I liked the idea of her having a son so much more. Hopefully you liked it! Maybe with enough reviews and good feedback I'll try and get back into the game of updating an actual fanfiction that isn't one chapter long! Hope to hear from any and all about this idea. Thanks so much for reading :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or its respected characters. I do, however, own Finn and this story. R&R!**

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_One Year Earlier_

"Now, Finn, I'll only be gone for just a few days." said the Queen, turning away from a servant holding up a parchment of paper to see her young son. Perfectly perched on the edge of her bed, swinging his legs up and down, he smiled without a hint of sadness. He was very much used to her scattered travelling.

"I know, mama." He giggled, receiving a quick peck to his forehead before she turned back to her packing.

"Anna and Kristoff will be here, like usual, and you'll have your cousins of course." Her voice rose with concern, and perhaps a bit of worry, but nothing he was not used to hearing. Ever since her first trip away from the Kingdom without the young Prince trailing behind, she had developed an overly irrational fear brought on by motherhood…which was unexpected for her. Finn, on the other hand, enjoyed his mother's brief moments of silliness. She was much more forgetful around the time of departure that she often forgot to pack certain items, though she never forgot to give him plenty of hugs and kisses.

First priority: smother the crowned Prince.

Second priority: smother him some more…then pack.

After slipping a candlestick, sans the candle, into her loaded trunk and closing it, Finn howled with laughter.

"Mama! You can't take candlestick with you!" He cried out, pointing at the long golden ornament.

The Queen sighed, "I'm losing my mind."

Falling back on the bed with a deep breath, the Queen's eyes closed. Finn took full advantage of her statuesque state and poked her head, shifting her hair back and forth until she laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"You said you lost your mind! I'm trying to find it for you." Knocking gently on her forehead, she opened her eyes and met his. The smallest boy hovered over her face, a soft, childish version of hers with the same mess of hair framing his chubby cheeks.

The Queen rolled onto her side and reached for him, "Come here you!"

Delighted by the sudden gesture, Finn was pulled into her arms for a warm embrace and wrapped himself around her as much as he could. Buried in the crook of her neck, he accustomed himself to the smell of her: fresh, powdery snow and a hint of chocolate. She always smelled like something sweet or minty. It was the best combination of smells.

"Mama?"  
"Yes Finn?" She hummed. Her voice vibrated against his cheek, whereupon he placed a tiny hand against her neck to feel the beating of her heart. Slow and steady.

"Are you going to miss me?"

"I haven't even left yet and I already do." They snuggled for just a few moments longer, completely uninterrupted until there was a knock at the door.

"Elsa?"

"Anna? Come in." The two did not move, not even as the Princess entered with Edith leading the way.

"Aw. Look at the two of you! All bundled up and cuddling." Anna cooed. Her babytalk was a force of habit by now, but she only used it teasingly. A result, as Finn observed, of motherhood. That's when his own mother took her cue and sat up, though she did not release him.

"Oh shush. Is the sled ready to leave?"

"On your orders, Majesty!" Both Anna and Edith bowed deeply. Unlike Finn and his mother, Edith resembled more of her father than Anna. In fact, Thomas did as well. They were not much older than the Prince, but they were larger still. Taller, blonder, and all hazel-eyes.

"Alright then, let them know I'm ready to go." As Anna left, Elsa slid gracefully from the bed to her feet and set Finn down on his own. Two guards and a few servants awaited their Queen and crowned Prince in the hallway. At full attention, the then guards accompanied the royal pair to the large doors in the Grand Hall with Elsa's travelling trunk in tow.

"Elsa." Kristoff greeted politely. Beside him, Thomas bowed his head in respect the same way that his father did. Anna was not quite so formal as she barreled towards Elsa for a big hug. She could only laugh and hug back.

"Your majesty, we have your sled ready. You should get going before nightfall." Coughed Kai, a round older gentleman with graying hair. He had been in service to the royal family since Finn's late grandfather, as had Gerda, a female servant that often brought him breakfast.

"Of course. Bring me my wrap, would you?" Kai disappeared for a moment, only to return seconds later with a long white fur that he positioned along Elsa's shoulders. It had been a gift from her husband on their wedding day nearly nine years ago. His place beside her was nearly as absent as often as Finn was following behind her, which was a good majority of always. A father figure that was constantly at sea, though he did write and send along gifts from various countries and Kingdoms. Last Thursday had been the most recent post and it would be another long while until his next. Finn did not much mind though and it appeared that it was a mutual thought for Elsa as well.

According to his royal lessons, Finn's mother married for "political gain", which did not make much sense to him. He never asked her about it though because he did not think it was important enough. If she was ever upset about his father's absence, he did not notice it.

"Make sure he gets to bed on time, no fussing, and absolutely no scary stories.._Edith_…_Thomas._ And Anna, just be sure to make an appearance in public while I'm gone. I'm counting on you to keep things in order until I come back."

Anna snorted and flicked both of her hands downwards, "Duh. I've done this before."

"Alright," she bit her lip and glanced at Finn. "I'm going now."

"Okay, I love you." He said confidently. She just smiled and squeezed his hand before disappearing behind the closed doors of the Great Hall.

She would come back. She always did.

**She had been gone for five full days before a courier caught up with the royal guard and the Queen's sled about fifteen miles from Arendelle. **They had bidden their time with a noble family to negotiate trade agreements and investments. It was a less than stressful visit and the Queen was relaxed for the time being, so the courier was a surprise. At first it seemed like an ordinary letter, until she caught the twisted look in her Captain's expression as he skimmed over the words. Was her husband home already? Had someone broken in? An assassination attempt! What about Finn? Was the Prince okay? Anna? Kristoff? Edith and Thomas? Maybe the village was buried under ten feet of snow again.

_Not funny. _She thought as the letter made its way to her.

"It's from the Princess. Urgent, your Majesty." He held it out to her.

"What's happened?" Dread. Absolute fear and worry took hold of her better senses as she ripped the letter away from him. In those few seconds the wind had picked up and the flurry of snow that settled upon old powder signaled a lack of control. The entire guard waited as she read, rising from her seat with every breath until she stood stock still.

"My Queen?"

"Take me back!" She ordered the Captain. He held out his hand for hers and drew the Queen up onto the saddle.

"Continue on, men. I will see you at the castle!" He shouted as he gripped the reins of the horse and began to race off towards the castle. In her head, Elsa could hear Anna's panicked voice in the words scrawled on the paper:

_Elsa,_

_It's Finn. There was an accident. He won't come out of his room. Please hurry home. I don't know what to do._

_Anna_

Accident. What accident? Her mind raced with every possibility, but she could not shake the one idea that scared her the most: He had developed a gift of his own. There was a fifty-fifty chance that he would inherit her lineage and for it to happen while she was away-of all things!-was surely the most frightening thing her poor child was experiencing. She would know.

_Oh! If only Anna had given me more to go on than this!_ No, it was not her fault. If it was as urgent as it read, then Anna had done everything right. Zero time to explain, just send word.

Faster than they had left, Elsa arrived at the open gates and dismounted the horse as quickly as she could. Anna waited for her, a grim expression of desperation in her freckled face.

"Take me to him." Elsa strained to hold back the flurry of a storm she could feel brewing inside of her.

"Come on." Anna flew into the corridor that led to Finn's bedroom. A scruffy Kristoff waited outside of the door, sunk beside the frame with Edith wrapped around his torso and Thomas leaning on his shoulder (well, arm really). They all looked so exhausted.

"We couldn't sleep." Kristoff grinned, answering the question before Elsa could get a word out.

"He made it rain, Ellie." Edith yawned. "Ellie" was her affectionate combination of 'Elsa + Auntie' and only way of referencing the Queen.

"Rain? Are you sure it wasn't snow?"

"There was some of that, too." Thomas chimed in suddenly.

"Snow and rain. Alright, well let's try and get him out, shall we?" Elsa breathed and turned to face the door. The built up anxiety of the unknown in her gut told her that this is what it must have felt like for Anna all those years ago. Then, as if her sister could be any more spectacular, Anna took Elsa's shaking hand and lifted it between them. She was determined, not afraid.

"Together." She said. Elsa nodded. And just like she said, they both knocked gently on the door and began in harmonic unison:

_Finn.._

_Please, we know you're in there._

_We're just as scared as you have been._

_Have courage, we know it's hard for you_

_We're right out here for you, so let us in_

Nothing. Anna squeezed Elsa's hand tighter and this time, everyone joined in (even Kristoff).

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

_Please come out and play_

_We just can't stand it anymore_

_Come out the door_

_We can make this go away-_

Not one verse later did a red-faced Finn open his door, completely soaked and covered in a light frost from head-to-toe. Elsa was too relieved to care about the water logged bedroom or the ice stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and his bed. He opened the door. He let them in. He had powers, a gift, just like she did.

"Can you really make it go away?" He sniffled as she dropped to her knees and took his pruned fingers in hers.

"_We_ can, yes. I can teach you how to control it, but you just can't be afraid." His eyes widened with new fear. Perhaps he thought she meant that they could make his powers go away, for good.

"I don't want to control it," he gasped. "I don't want it at all!"

It began to sprinkle in the corridor. Edith squealed, which caused Finn to flinch and make it rain harder.

"Shh. Watch this." Elsa held out her palm to him and he watched with amazement as the magic danced along her hand, winding elegantly around her arm until she stopped and it disappeared.

"You can teach me to do that?" He asked with round eyes.

"I can teach you everything."

A beat.

"Okay." The suddenly shy Prince mumbled as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"Okay!" Elsa clapped her hands together elatedly. Relief flooded in a silent wave as the tension unwound from each person holed up in the small corridor. Kristoff, whose chest was still occupied by his sleepy daughter, attempted to stand when she began to murmur in her exhaustion.

"I want powers, too, papa." She groaned, slinking almost limply in his arms as he managed to get himself up onto his two feet. Beside him, Thomas' cheeks flooded with air as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"You do, Edith, you and your mother have the ability to snore _loudly_. Really loudly." He breathed, exaggerating every last syllable in a rumbling, humorous voice. Finn was the first to laugh, which in turn caused a raucous from everyone else as they joined in. The laughter resonated through the castle, warming it more than it had been before.

It was the type of laughter that entailed the relief of a mother, the happiness of a sister, and the excitement of a Prince.

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**I wasn't going to resume this but I wanted to explore the first time that Finn experienced his powers. Hopefully this satisfies any thoughts someone may have had. Hope you enjoyed!**

**Special thanks to all of those who left a review, favorited, and followed! **


	3. A Celebration I

**Disclaimer*I don't own Frozen or the characters, but I do own the story and the people you have never heard of R*R**

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_A Celebration_

Arendelle was beautiful in the Spring. Warm weather, fair winds, blooming sprigs and green plantation for miles around. Most of the villagers were besotted with the season, but only because it was around this time that the castle prepared for its celebration of the King's return for the Crowned Prince's birthday ball. It was also in combination with the annual feast that came with the arrival of Spring, which was set years before the birth of the Prince. Queen Elsa gave everyone within her Kingdom the freedom and responsibility to prepare a dish in honor of both the merriments presented this season. By May 1st, the festivities would begin and last for a week. No more, no less; and with the grandeur of a party came the guest list.

"If we must, then invite the Duke of Wesselton." In all of her explicit responses regarding the Duke's apologies, she had to recant her previous declaration for the betterment of her Kingdom. Also, because his horrid dancing would suffice for entertainment value.

"Of course, your Majesty. Is there anyone else you would add to the guest list before I send out invitations?"

"My husband's family is due to arrive before he does, yes? I would also like to extend an invitation to the King of the Southern Isles. He has sent correspondence in the past few years expressing his desire to visit, in order to set right what was done by his brother. I think that's fair, what do you say Kai?" The Queen peered up from her paperwork to catch the hint of a concerned expression twitching at her advisor's face. He had long been promoted from servant to advisor once his loyalty had been proven, and also because Elsa trusted no one else within the castle walls to speak to.

"The King's family will be here shortly before he returns," Kai began. "As for the Southern Isles, I would deem the King and his closest family the privilege of staying with us. That Hans fellow-"

"I've been told that Hans was sent off to live on an island, completely isolated and guarded by the King's most loyal knights. He rarely speaks to his brother." Elsa sighed, sinking into her chair from sheer exhaustion. She had been at the paperwork for nearly three hours. By now her son would have barged in demanding that she practice sparring. He had gotten so big, so powerful, and so controlled in the past five years that it was astonishing.

"I am in full support of your decision, Queen Elsa."

"Just Elsa, okay Kai? We're in private." She chuckled, which earned her a grin from the aged man she might as well have considered family. An Uncle, perhaps. Finn certainly took to Kai the way he did to his Uncle Kristoff.

"Then why don't you take a break, Elsa? Lunch should be ready soon."

The Queen did not object, in fact, she stood up and stretched to gesture that she was in full agreement with this plan of action.

"Lunch sounds good. Now, where's my son at?"

"I believe he's with-!"

Speak of the devil and he shall come.

"MOM!" Finn's voice was as familiar to every servant's ears as it was to his mother's. He took after Anna in tepidness and unyielding, boisterous vocal projection. Simply put: he was loud. Then again, so were his cousins. Unlike his mother at his age, he had grown out of his awkward, yet adorable, shyness because of his exposure to children his age. Elsa had once been like that, too, but that was before the accident with Anna.

To see Finn bursting through her doors, red-faced, and knocking his much bigger counterpart, Thomas, to the side, filled Elsa with too much happiness. He was not a shut-in.

"Frederick. Thomas." Kai hissed paternally. Both boys jumped to a regal posture and bowed.

"Aunt Elsa." Said Thomas.

"Mom." Said Finn.

Elsa could only laugh, "Boys."

"I'll leave you to the ruffians then, my Queen. We can finish the guest list when you're feeling lighter." Kai excused himself past the boys with a wide smirk spread across his face. He could always discipline them when they were acting up and he certainly took an immeasurable amount of pride in it.

"What have you two been doing?" Elsa waved for them to enter as she leaned against the large desk in the study. Thomas went straight for the duvet and dove face first, landing flat on his stomach. Finn crossed his arms and laughed.

"They were practicing their swordplay."

Elsa perked up. Her Captain of the Guard, Rolland, and her husband's best friend, perched himself in the doorway to her study. He was a bit older than Elsa, like her husband, but only by five or six years. He had followed his King dutifully to Arendelle to whip the men into shape at the request of Kai. Elsa would have developed many enemies during her reign, especially after the Great Freeze, and those protecting her needed to be well led. General Rolland transcribed himself well into the battlements after Elsa's marriage to Riordan. He was an excellent Captain and an even better teacher.

"Babysitting again, Captain?"

"They sought me out, your Majesty." Rolland smirked, uncrossed his arms, and laced them behind his back to take on his attentive stance. He, like King Riordan, spoke with an affluent accent from a Scottish or Irish origin. She enjoyed that most about the pair of them, though she did secretly favor one over the other.

"Yea, mom! Rolland taught us tougher stuff today. We've officially graduated from beginners to amateurs." Finn said proudly, turning to his cousin whom was already passed out on the duvet snoring softly. Elsa, who shared a look with her Captain, tried to contain her laughter. Beginner to amateur wasn't exactly a high honor considering the levels between the two, but she would not break down his confidence. He was doing so well with Rolland.

"Should we request that the Queen escort us back to training, Finn?" The Prince could barely hold back long enough before he was pushing Thomas to wake up and grabbing his mother's arm.

"Come and watch us! Please?"

"Alright." She chuckled, allowing him to run ahead with Thomas as they pushed each other back and forth. Rolland shook his head, offering his arm to Elsa, which she took shakily.

Rolland was an undeniably handsome man who stood at least four inches taller than her. He was all wide and muscular up top and proportioned to his lower half. His training, like Kristoff's ice harvesting, made him a product of his environment, but the roughness did not take away from his nicely chiseled features. Warm, brown eyes, short cropped brown hair dusted with gray that was barely visible unless seen up close, and a strong jaw to match his narrow nose. From this angle, she could openly observe his profile without warranting any strange eye contact. That would just be awkward.

"You're tense, my lady." He's always so formal, despite the undertone of the hidden meaning in the way he refers to her as _my lady_.

"These days it's hard not to be."

"It troubles me that you work yourself so much." Though the pair have never shared anything more than a few affectionate glances or touches that may have well been ghosts skimming across water, there was still an air of the unspoken between them. Rolland and Riordan; one born to marry and rule, and one born to serve. Elsa had only become aware of Rolland's fondness the year after her son discovered his gifts. She had denied him, even though she could not fully deny herself that she, too, was quite fond of the Captain.

In his declaration of love, Rolland had vowed to be hers, and only hers, to Command until his death. From then on, it was hard to shake him from her thoughts when Finn was constantly jabbering about Rolland and how great he was at teaching him. It once slipped from Finn that he was even better at being a father than his own father, which he retracted seconds later. Thankfully her son had not been so observant as to notice how warm Rolland was around her and how less tense she was around him. That would be entirely too hard to explain to a young boy who knew nothing about love and selfish desire. Anna, however, understood. She was the only other person that knew.

"Oh, Rolland…you don't need to worry about me. I need you focusing on teaching my son to swing a sword without almost taking my head off." She laughed, squeezing his arm to exaggerate her joke. He grinned and looked at her. She wished he wouldn't look at her like _that_.

"I wouldn't let him harm you, or anyone. That was my vow to you." How could she forget? His vow had been so intimate, so fierce, that she could hardly hold herself back from embracing him entirely.

"So dramatic." She scolded playfully as they came upon the doors that led to the outside. Finn and Thomas had already strapped on their practice armor and reached for their wooden swords when Elsa and Rolland joined them.

"Alright boys, should we give her a show?!" Rolland released Elsa, reluctantly, and clapped his hands together. Finn and Thomas barked loudly in unison as their teacher jumped into the ring with them. A couple of his men brought him gear and hurried away just as quickly.

Elsa could not have been more proud of Finn. His steps were in perfect sync with his mentor. He was fluid like the water he had learned in himself to control with a depth she could hardly comprehend. It was now that she felt the sudden jolt of sadness that twisted inside of her: he was growing up. In a few short days, her little shadow would be thirteen years old and he would be her shadow no longer. Finn was her one and only love, and no other child she could give birth to would replace that. Anna could have more children and be satisfied, but Elsa need only one. Frederick was everything good about life.

"How'd I look, mom?!" Finn jumped onto the wooden planks that surrounded the makeshift sparring arena, causing his mother a significant amount of alarm.

"Amazing." Without thinking, she moved forward and reached for his face. Placing a kiss on his forehead, she could almost feel herself crying but would not allow it. "I am so very proud of you."

Finn said nothing back because he did not have to. Elsa already knew how much her son loved her, so they stood together (Finn slumped on the top rail of the fence) and watched as Thomas took his turn in the arena against Rolland. Together they jeered and encouraged Thomas from the sideline until Kai came for the royal family to join in the Dining Hall for lunch.

"Go and wash up you two." Elsa waved them off, though she could hear the distinct suggestion that Thomas made about having a personal water well. Finn hit him with a splash of water and laughed, joking about how Thomas had no reason to bathe that night. Then they were gone, voices drifting into the air as they raced in the opposite direction.

"That boy could never love anyone more than he does you." Rolland said as he wiped his sweat-drenched face with a wet, dirty cloth. "Not even his father."

"Oh, I think I have some sturdy competition when it comes to you." Elsa narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Nah, he's just using me up until he can take my station from beneath me."

"How fortunate for you! Then you can retire and finally settle down." She challenged.

"Never." Elsa could not look him in the eye as he said it because she knew what he was trying to convey. True to his vow, Rolland had married himself to her monarchy. Any advances that women made or blessings she gave him, he refused to have anyone else. What she would imagine as torture, he saw as a blessing; he could not take the love of his life from his best friend because of loyalty and law, so he chose to be hers entirely without the pretenses of marriage. And because Elsa had never been selfish a moment in her life, she kept him the way she kept Finn; close and a part of an unbreakable link in her chain of those she held most dear.

"I should go," she managed suddenly. "Thank you for being so good with him."

"It is an honor, my Queen." She could feel him bow the way a soldier should and took her leave. The pounding in her chest halted the second she reached the dining room. Finn was not laughing and neither was Thomas, but rather they were talking. Intermingled voices drifted from the hall and wrapped themselves around Elsa, pulling her forward further. She knew before she was even inside what awaited her.

He was home.

The King had returned.

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**Oh gosh, it just hit me today: I HAD TO WRITE THIS. This may be in three parts, haven't decided, but I think these are going to be short drabbles or short stories with three or four chapters. Anyways, the focus won't fade away from Finn and Elsa, because I really do want this to be a sweet mom/son kind of thing, but I needed to satisfy those who wanted to know about the King. I wanted to know, too, hence this chapter. I'm actually in love with Rolland, just so you know. So, I hope you enjoyed this! I'll update soon. Leave me some REVIEWS! I love getting feedback from you all :)**


	4. A Celebration II

**Do I have to do a disclaimer every time? Ugh...I don't own the Frozen characters or the story, but I do own this story and all the Mary Jane's that make your life so impossibly hard to live with. R*R please :)**

**Ps. If there are any typos, I apologize. Sometimes I don't catch them when I do a read through.**

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_Celebration II_

Finn could not have been any less excited when he found his father chatting up his Uncle Kristoff in the Dining Hall. Everyone, including Edith and Aunt Anna, seemed to be enjoying the splendid company of the King. A King, Finn noted, who did not act like much of a King as much as he did an Admiral at sea. His mother might as well declared herself a widow with the way he remained an absent part of the family. His presence was almost never missed, not even when they painted the Royal portrait to hang beside the late King and Queen's (Finn's grandparents). Now, with his 13th birthday just days away, Finn felt the heaviness of what it meant to have his father home.

"Frederick, my boy!" His father, King Riordan, bore little resemblance to his son. He was a tall, slender, well built man with dark black hair and a long, regal face. Perhaps the only attribute that Finn inherited was his father's long, handsome nose. If not for his status as an Admiral that abandoned his Kingship, the women might not have found him to be so attractive of a man.

"Hello, father." Finn nodded. Beside him Thomas made a short bow and subtly elbowed his cousin to move forward.

"Well come here! Let me get a good look at you." Still garbed in his sea-faring attire, and Finn in his training clothes, he looked a bit drab compared to his father.

"Finn and Thomas have been learning swordplay from Rolland, haven't you two?" Kristoff held his arm out for Thomas and ruffled his hair when he was close enough.

"Rolland taught me, too. You'll have to take me out in the morning to watch you practice." Said the King, patting his son on the shoulder like a stranger would to someone they just met.

"I've been meaning to head out there myself and watch Thomas. Harvesting has been rough these past few weeks, but Elsa gave me the go ahead to take these next few days off until the party." According to Aunt Anna, Kristoff had been somewhat socially impaired his whole life, but his adjustment into the royal family had been smooth. He was well equipped when it came to lightening the mood in the room, but it also helped that he was on good terms with the King. He had been the first to welcome Riordan and Rolland, so said his mother.

"Don't let her work you too hard." The King chuckled, releasing his grip on his son and turning his attention to Kristoff.

"Kristoff likes to keep busy. Sometimes he'll even take Thomas up in the mountains with him when he's not fighting with the Captain." Anna commented from her seat at the table. She didn't even make eye contact with the King when she said it because her eyes were too busy glistening with _Kristoff _to see anyone else. Finn often wondered why his mother never looked at his father that way.

_My mommy married daddy because she loves him! _Edith once said when Finn attempted an argument with her about Anna's arranged marriage. It was out of political respite that she married Kristoff, he had said, but that was not the case. It was only true for his mother.

"You should take Frederick with you! Get him big and strong like Thomas." Though the King was partly joking, Finn became very aware of how disapprovingly scrawny he was compared to his cousins. Even Edith was built a smidgen bigger.

"Are you kidding? I'm way ahead of you. Finn's my number one go to weather machine when it gets rough up there. He's kept at least six seriously bad storms at bay." Kristoff's enthusiasm for Finn's immaculate abilities quickly replaced his abrupt discontent. "The men can't stand it when I leave these two behind."

"And I can't stand it when you _don't_ leave my son behind," Elsa's voice was like a much needed breeze in the humidity of a hot summer day. "Between his studies, ice harvesting, and Rolland's incessant lessons, I barely have any time to spend with my son."

Finn took a few paces backwards as his mother joined him, taking his arm as he offered it to her. Together they were a force of nature, literally.

"My Queen," said the King as he bowed deeply.

"You're home early." Her voice was neutral, no hint at anything like surprise or disappointment. Just monotony.

"I thought I'd surprise you! Did it work?"

Finn glanced at his mother briefly, catching just a twitch of a smile at the corner of her red lips as she offered her husband the most decent form of affection she could muster.

"Can we eat now?" Edith complained and the adults laughed, taking their individual seats noisily. Finn on the right, his father on the left, both occupying two different sides; two different people.

Ten minutes into lunch and Kai interrupted as he escorted a clean looking Rolland into the room. The King greeted his friend with the biggest welcome and a great big clap on the back.

"I was wondering if you were going to eat with us or with your men!"

"Ah, trust me, eating inside is more tame than what happens out there." At that, there was a bit of laughter and it felt less impending with Rolland at the table now. Finn even noted that his mother was more relaxed. Perhaps because the conversation drifted between the men and sometimes Anna, but not once did Elsa make a comment. But no one seemed to notice. Between the two friends, King and Captain, their back and forth rapport was increasingly more humorous when one factored in their hearty accents, which also distracted from the one silent person in the room.

After lunch, Elsa requested that Finn escort her to her study where she appropriated her silence as a form of focus. She still had much to do in the way of planning and signing off for docking permission at the bay. No one stopped her from doing her work, but they did wish she would stop pushing herself so hard. Then Anna added that she would come by later for tea with Edith and that was the end of their meal.

"Is it so awful to wish that he wasn't here?" Finn asked quietly as they walked down the hall.

"You shouldn't, but I understand why you would." She knew how blunt the King could be and how very un-father like he was towards Finn. There were signs that she could see that read as plainly as an open book.

"How long will he be here?"

"At least three weeks. I'll speak to him tonight to discuss what his plans are for the next few months."

"Grandmother and grandfather?"

"For a week, at most."

"She's going to be pinching my cheeks the whole visit." Finn groaned and his mother laughed quietly.

"I heard what your father said."

"How much of it?"

"Enough to say that I am so proud of you. You should never feel ashamed in front of him because of what he says. He doesn't understand you the way that I do, or that Anna, or Kristoff, do. But while he's here, you have to give him a chance." Her voice was soft and kind, never harsh. She didn't have to be to get her point across or strike him as being serious.

"I'll try."

"Thank you." She said as they entered her study. It was empty, save for the desk and few chairs that littered the room. Now with occupants, it felt less stiff from the breeze blowing in.

"Now, onto more important issues. Should we have chocolate cake with strawberries or vanilla cake with strawberries?" Elsa asked as she took her seat behind the large desk scattered with papers.

"Definitely the second." Finn chuckled. Since leaving, his mother had brightened a little and as a direct result, so had he.

"Perfect. I'll let the chef know. Now, why don't you go and find Gerda? I heard she was looking for you and your cousins for a fitting."

"Great." He breathed sarcastically. Fittings were not a good way to spend an afternoon, especially with Gerda at needlepoint. She was a bit shaky in her older age.

"Oh, go on then. You can go back to doing nothing later when your suit is properly measured." Finn said nothing more and headed out the doors with a simple wave. Elsa turned back to her papers for only seconds before there was a knock at the door.

"Might I have a word with my wife?" Looking up, she could see that her husband was in good spirits. She ushered him in with a nod. Without any sort of hesitation, he came for her in a great stride and lifted her from where she sat. "I have missed you too much."

As much as she could try and resist him, he was too gentle to deject so she let him kiss her. It was not so much that she detested him or was disgusted by him, but rather she did not love him enough to be so romantic. She had seen how Anna looked at Kristoff and how he looked at her that it was so intense at times she felt she needed to look away. Riordan shared that look at times, but she could not return it. As hard as Elsa had tried to love him the way Anna did Kristoff, she could not. That was the downside of her marriage. No matter how much Riordan loved her or told her so, Elsa could not feel the same, not that he would ever know.

"We've missed you, too." Not _I missed you, too_, just _we_.

"I have something to talk to you about." He said as he drew her away from the desk and towards the balcony that overlooked the fjord.

"Good news?"

"Definitely good news." He smiled.

"Go on then."

"I've been thinking of making this a more permanent visit." Elsa stiffened beside him. Her small habits were something he was not accustomed to so he did not react the way Rolland might or Finn.

"Don't you have duties to fulfill? You are the Admiral."

"But I am King first. My duties have always been here, with you, in Arendelle. In any case, Frederick is older now and he needs his father here to teach him what you can't, not that I can discredit you any praise for raising our son," he began forcefully. "I want to help the Kingdom grow and take half the load of work away to free you up some."

"I manage just fine with the work."

"You do, and you are an exceptional Queen," his voice tapered off. "But I want our family to be bigger. I want more children, Elsa, and coming home to be with you is all I can think about lately."

_I don't want any more children. Finn is perfect. He's more than I could have ever wanted. There's no child now that could measure up to the son that I have. No more. No more children._

Elsa could feel the swirling emotions of panic and resistance building up inside the longer she remained quiet on the subject. He wanted to take control. He wanted to be a present King in the their lives. More importantly, he only wanted to be a part of it now because Finn was old enough to bother with. That may have been the circumstances of his life back home, but in Arendelle, under Elsa's watch, she refused to subject her son to that type of childhood. A mother for the first half of his life and a father for the second half.

"We've talked about this before, Riordan." She said firmly, placing a hand on his chest to ward him away. He appeared to be conflicted.

"I have four brothers and two sisters. Why are you so against having anymore children? Frederick-"

"_Finn_. Everyone in the Kingdom calls him Finn. The only other person who refers to him as Frederick is Kai and that is strictly for addressing him when he's done something wrong." Elsa did not back down and grew even more fierce with every word. She was Queen, made so by her birthright, and he was King only by marriage.

"Alright, Finn then. That's what I'll call him."

"No, that won't do. I am not having any more children. You barely even know your first born, so how do you expect to keep up with another? Finn will be my sole heir and I will not hear another word about it," to further exaggerate her point, she glided across the room back to her desk and sat down. Riordan followed slowly, completely flummoxed by her outrage. "You made the effort to have a son, now go and make an effort to learn more about him."

"When did you become so difficult, Elsa? You told me before that you wouldn't mind more children."

"And then you left. Gone for months at a time." She said coldly. "A lot can change."

Elsa dropped her eyes to the paperwork and blocked him out. He left, wordlessly and silently. No one bothered her for hours after that and she fell into a routine of signing and wavering, listening to Kai when he finally came in. Around sunset, Anna came in with a tray of tea and the doors closed behind her. Anna prodded information out of her about the celebration, her work, and finally how she felt about Riordan being at home.

"I should feel lucky, Anna, but I don't." Elsa massaged her temples as Anna prepared a third cup for her, which she sipped hastily.

"But you are lucky. You may not think so, or feel that way, but I know that Finn makes you happier than anyone else does."

"And that's why I don't want more children. Finn is enough, he'll always be enough, and if my husband can't accept that, then he might as well stay out at sea."

Anna laughed, "Are you still fond of Rolland?"

Elsa, despite her previous attitude, did feel warmer at the sound of his name spoken out loud. In private, she could lament endlessly in her forbidden love for another man.

"It's hard not to be."

"I knew it!" Anna clapped, her face becoming red and her eyes growing wide.

Inside of the Queen, there was a restless stirring of giddiness that she let out when her sister was around. But _only_ when Anna was around.

"He's just so good with Finn and I know that he's fond of him as well. Did I tell you that Finn admitted Rolland was a better father? I can't disagree with him. That boy is every bit of me, good and bad."

"You're right, you shouldn't have anymore kids." Anna commented.

"Oh?" Elsa was a bit taken aback by that.

"You play favorites!" Anna giggled, flicking a sugar cube at her sister and ducking when a small snowball came her way.

"I do not!" Elsa argued, her laughter growing off of Anna's. They went back and forth with sugar cubes and snowballs, stopping only when they collapsed on the floor from sore middles and sides. "Thanks, Anna."

"For what?" She asked as she rolled over, still a reflection of her sixteen year old self, just older and a bit more mature.

"Cheering me up."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Huh?"

Kai burst into the room, visibly annoyed and shocked, by the mix of sugar and snow littering the ground around the Queen and Princess. Catching his expression sent the sisters into another fit of laughter, momentarily excused from any sort of serious business going on inside or outside of the castle. Thank God for Anna. _Thank God_.

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**I've just been having a lot of luck writing lately, so here's another chapter. I'm in love with this story, so I hope you are too. If Finn isn't in here a lot, he will be soon. I just wanted to give Elsa some screentime. Hope you're enjoying it! **

**Special thanks to everyone who leaves a review, favorites, or adds this on their watchlist! You helped make this happen. **


	5. A Celebration III

**Disclaimer*I don't own Frozen or its characters, just this story and the OCs. ANYWAYS! Enjoy, R&R :)**

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_A Celebration: Part III_

May 1st rose with the sun on the dawn of a new morning. It signaled the extra hour that the servants rose in the Kingdom of Arendelle to begin preparations for the Prince's week long celebration. For such an event, heavy with royalty and all those within the kingdom, required a feast beyond compare. The local baker, butcher, and any other resident who so chose to prepare a dish, arrived at the open gates with their offerings. Kai led them in and directed each person to the kitchen, where they were given further instruction on meal preparation for the evening. There was no other time in all of Arendelle that the castle had been filled to the very core with bustling, busy workers. Every guest room held a duchess or duke of some sort, and of course, the King's family surrounded the domineering quarters of the King and Queen themselves. In-laws were noisy. Much, much more noisy than either Thomas or Edith or Finn combined. Elsa was a quiet woman and somewhat of an introvert, though not as severe as she was once, it was still considerably difficult to be around loud people. Anna was the only other "loud people" she had been around in her life and not even the Princess could be around the noisy in-laws for very long.

It was for that very reason, besides avoiding a tense breakfast with her husband, the King, Elsa woke up earlier than usual to join the crowd of servants and citizens in the morning parade. Also, she was the only person who could thaw the diamond like skating rink in the courtyard for a safe crossing to the castle doors. It would make for a very messy celebration if they had to clean up after the party guests and the pile up of servants that would have inevitably happened sans Elsa's supervision.

"There are a lot of people, aren't there?" Elsa asked Kai, nodding to her subjects with an inkling of a smile as they passed by with their greetings.

"A total of 678 attending, your Majesty."

"Does that include those that are anchored in the fjord?"

"No, it does not. I was going to check in with the master of the docks after every villager was accounted for." The line was slowly dwindling down to just ten people, but it was still a considerably large amount to account for.

"Do they have housing? Should we accommodate those on the ships? Maybe we should have condensed the guest list more." Her voice rose in pitch and she began threading her hands together nervously.

"Relax. Unless your Majesty would like to plot a few igloos around the perimeter of the Kingdom, I believe their accommodations are more than enough." Kai laughed as he check-marked the final resident. As he rolled his parchment and passed it off to a nearby squire, Kai offered his arm to the Queen. Elsa took it without question. As they began to walk out into the village, talking between the two of them in hushed tones, there was a frantic voice calling out from behind.

"Wait! I wanna come with you!" Elsa turned just in time to catch Finn racing towards them waving his arms above his head.

"Goodness, what are you doing up so early?" She laughed as her son joined them. Kai snorted humorously and shook his head.

"Gerda woke me up! She said you were going to the fjord and I wanted to go, too," he explained. "Can I come, mom?"

"How could I refuse the birthday boy?"

"You can't!" He grinned. "I go where you go, remember?"

Elsa could see the little boy he once was in that grin. Always trailing after her, always clinging to her, always there; all because he was just an extension of her shadow. In some ways, he still was, but being thirteen came with more princely duties. His time would be consumed in political studies with Kai, training with Rolland, and maybe sea-faring lessons with his father with the occasional trip up into the mountains with Kristoff. The mere thought of separation nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she would not let him see her unhappiness. Yet, despite that fact, Finn sensed an aberration in her behavior and reached for her hand as a silent form of consolation. She twined hers with his just as she would any other time and went on with Kai in the lead.

Thankfully, Finn's boisterousness entertained the crowd that had descended upon him while Elsa and Kai squared away business with the other guests filling up the fjord. It was hard not to accept him as the center of attention with how charismatic he was. That was why Elsa was so confident in his abilities to rule and lead the Kingdom when the time came. Sure, there would be those who would resist his rule, as there would always be in a monarchy, but he would rise above it with the support that Arendelle offered. How could he not when there were nearly one thousand guests attending his birthday week celebration?

"We should get going, your Majesty." Kai advised.

"Right. What else is there to do?"

"Plenty." He sniggered, leading on carefully through the throng of admirers'. Finn said his goodbyes and wished to see them all that night at the ball, which they returned dubiously by reassuring him they would be there. In no time at all, the trio arrived back at the castle with the King waiting with Gerda and Rolland in the courtyard. He appeared worried.

"Where did you run off to?" He asked, poorly disguising his concern with a smile.

"The fjord to speak with the Master of the docks, my King. The Queen and Prince Finn were kind enough to join me."

"You should have taken Rolland with you or a few guards at the very least." Elsa swept past him with Finn and a breeze of cotton-ball like snowflakes trailing after. The King quickly caught up. Curse those long legs.

"I was fine. Finn was fine. Nothing happened." Elsa commented when he tried to reprimand her for being so irresponsible.

"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be so reckless. It's an open port, you never know what kind of riff-raff is going to get in."

Elsa stopped mid-stride, halting the party of on-lookers behind her as well as the King. With the voice she used to command authority, which was even yet strong, she addressed Riordan for the final time on the subject.

"These are my people and my Kingdom. Had they tried to harm me or my son, I would have stopped it immediately. There was no need for a guard to accompany me because I was not in danger. Had I requested the presence of one, then my people would have been concerned about the safety of their Queen and Prince. It is a week for celebration with the highlight of happiness, not the undertone of fear, my dear husband." And she would know what fear was all about. She had spent so long consumed in it that the feeling was more familiar to her than any other emotion.

Silence.

Then the Queen proceeded onwards to the ball room and Finn followed suit.

"No one is going to hurt us, are they?" Finn asked hesitantly, as if expecting the wrath of his mother to fell upon him as it had his father.

"Of course not. He's just being overdramatic, he always is. Put it out of your mind." She sighed and squeezed his hand.

"I trust you, mom."

"And I trust you."

They made their way around the castle, avoiding King Riordan at all angles, and ate lunch together. No one bothered them, not even the in-laws, because the sweeping cold that came with their presence in every room warned them of the Queen's temper. Also, because Finn was having such an excellent time learning all of the details that went into his birthday celebration that he could not have noticed anyone else in the room besides his mother. When the time came for guests to arrive for supper, which was at 7 p.m. sharp, they retired to their quarters to dress for the occasion. Gerda escorted Finn to his room and Elsa returned to hers, alone, and unoccupied.

For tonight, she discarded her everyday gown and added a little more flare. Extending the length of her skirt, she gave it an extra layer that resembled the piece like her long veil and freed her arms of the tight fit for a flowing, gossamer look. As for a crown, she fashioned her own.

"Elsa, are you in there?" Anna's voice floated through the door like a sweet bell.

"I am. You can come in." She said as she finished the last few details on her sparkling ice tiara. Just as she placed it on her head, Kristoff and Anna shuffled in the room.

"You look so beautiful! Did you do something new to your dress? Because I love it and you look so gorgeous for being a mom," Anna's words flew out of her mouth the second it opened. "Wait, what? I'm sorry. I totally didn't mean anything bad by that!"

"Anna," Elsa giggled. "I know what you meant and thank you. The two of you look good together, really, a shimmering set of green and blue."

Anna wore a matured version of her gown from Elsa's coronation and Kristoff, a tough one to fit into poncy outfits, looked overly uncomfortable in his blue and black suit. Even his hair had been pushed back, despite one piece that popped out of place no matter how many times he pushed it down. As a pair, they were really quite unique.

"Thank you! Gerda and the other ladies worked so hard on them. Lucky you didn't have to do any fittings, it was so awful." Anna said as she approached Elsa, taking both of her sister's hands excitedly.

"I know, Finn told me all about it." Elsa snorted, rolling her eyes and laughing.

"Speaking of! We should get going to the ball room. I bet there's chocolate! C'mon, Kristoff!" Anna tugged his arm, entirely too small to move a mountain like him, but managed anyways. He followed after clumsily.

"Calm down, feisty-pants!" Their voices echoed down the hall, fading into the music that emitted from the ball room just a few feet down. Supper would be served and then the party would really begin, but first, she had one thing to do before anyone else could give her son any presents that would sweep him off his feet. Running back inside, she ducked her head into a trunk at the foot of the bed to retrieve a buried present wrapped in shimmering paper. It was no bigger than her fist, but it really didn't need to be anything too dazzling. It was sentimental and that's what mattered.

Elsa made her way to her son's room easily enough and knocked gently. There was the sound of skirts bustling as Gerda opened the door.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for how late we must be running, but I've just finished the final touches. I can escort him to the dining hall myself if you'd like." The door opened wide and Elsa stepped in.

"That won't be necessary, Gerda, but thank you. I'd like to escort him myself."

"Of course. Then I'll be on my way." Gerda bowed and ducked out of the room quickly enough.

"I think I look a little stuffy, mom. What do you think?" Finn stood before a mirror, twisting and turning to see all of the angles. He wore a royal blue tunic embroidered with gold and emerald green. His sash was purple and his buttons gold. Like his mother, his hair was impossibly untamable and worn naturally. Apparently Gerda did not even dare to mess with it.

"I think you look handsome, Finn." She said as she took a seat on the edge of his bed. He made his way over to her and took the stance of a soldier with his shoulders pushed back and chest puffed out.

"Thank you, mom. You look handsome, too." He laughed wildly, as if it was the funniest thing he had heard all day.

"I have a gift for you." She said and held it out to him. Finn stopped his laughter immediately. His mother never gave him gifts, and not because she disliked spoiling him, but because gifts should be given infrequently to remind the receiver of what it was to be given one.

"Can I open it?"

"I hoped you would."

Hesitantly, he took the little square box from her hands and relished in the object for a few seconds more before opening it. Inside Elsa could feel how nervous she was, because picking out gifts was not her strong point; and there was nothing but a strong sense of anticipation for his ultimate reaction. So, when he finally opened the box and smiled, she felt relieved. The contents of the box included two silver lockets on two very long chains. The locket itself was a small oval, just a size smaller than an egg and lighter than one. Finn pulled them both out and held them up.

"They're a matching set," she began as she reached for the closest one to her and opened it. "Just like you and me."

Finn looked inside to see the sparkling shapes of two different snowflakes tucked neatly inside both frames. He seemed to be mesmerized by the gift as he remained speechless for entirely too long.

"The snowflake on the left is the first one I ever made, though it's not the original, I did remember the pattern. The one on the right is the first one you made with me up in the North Mountain. They'll never melt."

"Mom-"

"Do you like it? Lockets are a bit much but I wanted you to be able to keep me close to you all the time, and the same for me." Finn suddenly slumped into her lap and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could, repeatedly thanking her over and over again for such a wonderful gift. She could not help but hug her son back, overwhelmed with affection and warmth.

"Listen to me," she whispered into his hair softly. "You are a part of me. Wherever you go, I will go too, because like it or not, I am your shadow; and you're mine. I want you to keep this locket close to your heart and no matter where I am, or how often we do not see each other from here on out, I will be with you. Happy Birthday, my son."

"I love you, mom." He sniffled as he disentangled himself from her.

"And I love you." She placed the locket around his neck first, then the second around hers, and pecked his forehead for good measure. "Let's not hold our guests up any longer, shall we? I'm starving."

"Okay!"

For the thirteenth year in a row Queen Elsa took her son's hand in hers, the same boy who had been peering over her shoulder as a toddler, and led the way to his birthday feast. So many years to miss the little boy he had been, now grown, with plenty more years ahead of him to continue growing. There was no more time to sneak into the kitchen late at night to enjoy a sweet treat and there would be no more nights where her son would occupy her bed because he could not sleep alone. His birthdays came and went with a sour, yet happy note, but she was more sure of herself each year that went by:

There was no room left in her motherly heart to care for another child, because it was too full of Finn, and she did not need anyone else.

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**OKAY! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It has a lot more Finn and Elsa interaction, which I promised from the beginning, and it's sort of sappy, too. I love the comments you're all leaving, it's very supportive and I appreciate all of the feedback. I realize that my writing style may not fit Disney, but that's simply because I am not the writer from this film, so my tone is going to fit my style. Hopefully that does not deter anyone from reading this! I'll try to update sooner. **

**Special thanks and lots of love to everyone reviewing, favoring, and following! XO**


	6. A Celebration IV

**I think I'm good on the disclaimer. We all know who owns what. Anyways, here's another chapter to hold you over. Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review!**

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_A Celebration IV_

The party was a huge success. Due to the warm weather and cool breeze, it was cozy enough to float between the palace walls and the courtyard. Some of the party even spilled out into the village where people played games and danced around the may pole. As for music, it washed all of Arendelle in a flood of celebratory harmony that anyone caught in the tide would be forced to dance throughout the night. Not one soul missed the beautiful arrangement of food from around the coast as it was too delicious and there was too much of it. When one plate was just about finished off, another would soon replace it.

Comments were given with a smile as Elsa was approached from every angle. The food was immaculate, the decorations were magical, the Prince was charming, and the hosts were too gracious. She could only keep up with so much before the room started spinning and she needed to take a seat. This was when Riordan stepped in. He took complete control, but only when she bade him to do so. Either Rolland was the mastermind behind the containment of the King's charisma or Elsa was too persistent to ignore when it came to her personal wishes. Whichever it was, he came in exactly when he needed to at just the right moment.

"He's trying his best, you know." Rolland pointed out when Elsa stepped aside for the fifteenth time that night.

"I'll have to thank him later then, won't I?" She chuckled, scanning the crowd for Finn or anyone with a familiar face. Rolland, despite his word, still somewhat intimidated her when they were alone. Presence alone can make anyone feel pressured.

"I think you should thank him with a dance."

Elsa rolled her eyes and sighed, "I don't dance."

"You might for your King." Rolland said more forcefully, as if pushing the topic would crumble her will.

"I don't believe I asked your opinion on the matter, _Captain_." She said sharply and turned a cold shoulder on him to sink into the crowd. Anywhere besides the watchful gaze of Rolland and Riordan was freedom, at least for a little while.

"Your Majesty." Said the women.

"My Queen." Said the men.

They all bowed or curtsied, respectfully, as she breezed by them. Every now and again Elsa would stop to exchange a few words about family or politics, which was pleasant enough. She kept it short though as she pursued any one of her family members. Seeing as it was Finn's birthday, she didn't want to seek him out too much, so she chose Anna. Sure enough ,standing with a plate of truffles off to the side, Anna bobbed her head happily to the music as she watched Edith and Kristoff dance clumsily across the floor.

"Should I fill up my own plate or can I steal a piece of yours?" Elsa asked slyly as she wrapped her arm around Anna's.

"No! Take one of them. I actually grabbed a couple you might like." Albeit they were bitten into, Elsa still ate them. What were sisters for if they could not eat after one another? It was a sibling thing.

"Have you danced at all?"

"Of course! Kristoff has gotten so much better at dancing. I mean, he still kinda stumbles around, but I mean hey, that's totally okay. My feet aren't even sore!" Anna kicked her left foot up and pointed at it, nearly missing the rear end of the Duchess of Some-Place-Important. Elsa covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but it came out louder than she expected anyways.

"How about Thomas? Has he led any pretty young ladies out onto the floor."

Anna turned red and her cheeks puffed out as she gestured towards the floor where her soon stood with a young girl. She was bouncing around on one foot, clearly irritated, as Thomas tried to apologize over and over again. Two left feet, the poor girl.

"I think he's been sweet on her all night. That's the fifth dance they've had together and she hasn't left him at all." Elsa recognized the young girl with curly brown hair. She was the daughter of a soldier in the Queen's army and had been presented earlier that evening to the court as Lady Brynn.

"And how has Edith faired?"

"Not really. I think she scares the boys," Anna pointed to a few young men who stared at her longingly but wore an expression of utter petrifaction when she drew near. "Edith is…well, I don't really know who she takes after more."

It was true. Between the three of them, Finn and Thomas, Edith was certainly more tough than they were. She had fallen out of the same tree at least five times in the same year, not shedding a tear once when there was a broken bone and there had been plenty of those.

"I think she's a good combination of the two of you." Elsa patted her sister's arm gently.

"Oh! Look, Finn is with that Princess…uhm, what's her name? Capsa? Calyp?"

"Princess Callipsa." Elsa corrected, watching as her son led the young, dark-skinned girl to the marble floor. Together, they were certainly a sight to see. He was like the moon to her midnight, his white-blonde contrasting with her dark black locks. It was almost like watching the piece of a puzzle being fitted together.

"Oh, yea, that's the name. She's beautiful."

Together the sisters watched as Finn swept the young girl around the dance floor, gracefully lifting and setting her back down when the music hit the queue. They were so focused on the pair of them that neither of the girls noticed the King, followed by his Captain, approached them.

"I haven't danced with my wife all night and I think I'd like to take a turn around the dance floor before the party is over." The King's voice rose above the onlookers and drew an audience. Under their scrutiny, she could not deny him without drawing questions, so she took his hand and allowed him to lead her.

"I'm not very good at this." She bowed, following his own, and then they came together.

"Good thing I'm your partner then." He said, gripping her waist and hand tightly.

"Watch your feet."

"My dear, I am so light on my feet that your stumbling would not have the slightest affect on me whatsoever."

"If that's what you think." She laughed.

"Aha! Rolland told me you might think that was funny. I'll have to tell him he's won the wager."

Elsa dared to glance at the crowd where Rolland looked on from the sides, standing still and alone. Anna must have dashed off somewhere, probably filling up her plate again. In any case, he him or turning the poor man into an ice cube.

"What was it that you wagered?"

"He wagered coin but I told him that if he was right, I would allow him one brief dance with you."

Her heart sunk. Did he know? Was this a test? Perhaps the rumors had reached his ear, but then again, what rumors had there been? Not one soul knew or suspected that Rolland might have feelings for her; and not one soul might have thought she returned those feelings in full. The thought sent chills down her spine, literally, and she could feel a thin sheet of ice rising to her skin like goosebumps.

_Keep it together. You've done nothing wrong. _She said mentally, trying to calm herself before anything too unfortunate occurred.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She said simply.

"Aw, why not? It's just a bit of fun."

"Our guests, and our son, might get the wrong idea."

Riordan stopped and waved for Rolland, "It's like dancing with a lame animal, I promise. Just suffer the man one dance and then I'll cut in to rescue you."

Hesitantly, Rolland took Elsa's hand while the King offered his to his mother. No one seemed to respond negatively, so she went along with it as another song picked up where they had left off.

"He insisted." Rolland mumbled, almost embarrassed by the entire ordeal.

"And you should have been more resilient." Elsa hissed, stiff in his arms and giving herself at least three inches of space from him. It made the dance more difficult but he had no right, neither of them, to put her in that position.

"He doesn't know about us, Elsa."

"Good, because there's nothing to know."

"Is it so wrong to have just one private moment between the two of us, right here? I might not be a good dancer, but I know how to hide things, too." His voice had dropped to a sadder tone and his eyes revealed nothing to her besides a familiar iciness she herself had given him on countless occasions. It did not feel good to be locked out.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I just don't want to compromise this. It shouldn't have happened, you and I. He's my husband and you're his friend…"

"You can't help who you fall for, Elsa."

True enough. She never thought she would love Finn, a child who might be born with her curse, but she did. Rolland was just as much of a surprise as her arranged marriage and despite trying, she fell for him anyways. Love was weird.

"I know that." Right now, more than anything, she wanted to rest her head against his chest and forget the world. He was so comforting, so complete, and so very warm. She never thought that a woman of her caliber, ice cold and Queen of many, would ever want to be wrapped up in something so intimate. "I've tried."

"Tried what?"

"I've tried to love him, but I can't. He's too difficult, and he's never here," she began. "He's told me he wants to stay here with us and have more children, but I don't want that. Ever. Finn barely knows him and what kind of a father spends thirteen years at sea just to come back when his son his finally good enough to be around? It's not right. He and I, we're not right."

It took Rolland a few minutes to speak again, but when he did, it was resigned, "Give him some time. He means well and he loves you, as in he really loves you. You might not see it now, but you can love him, too. Then you'll forget all about this, all about me, because you and him make sense."

Elsa dropped her arms and broke away from him. That wasn't right, that wasn't right at all. Rolland was fierce from the beginning when he made his vows to her. Always near, always beside her. Hearing him say those horrible things felt like an alternate betrayal, as if she should have been the one to push him away, not the other way around. Suddenly, the room felt a little too crowded and the doors were too far away. Emotions hit her like the frosty winds of a heavy ice storm and she felt powerless against it. There was nowhere to go without drawing attention to herself, so she drew herself in. Heartbreak felt like an impervious barrier of fear and rejection that she had never experienced in her life before.

It hurt.

"Mom!" Finn shouted excitedly, losing his smile when he caught sight of her face. She must have looked so afraid. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes!" She breathed, shaking herself out of it. "What's the matter?"

"I was just going to introduce you to Callie." Callie? Who was Callie? Elsa glanced over to the side where she saw the nervous Princess standing beside her King father and Queen mother.

"Oh…OH! Yes, take me to her. I'd love to meet the Princess."

Finn nodded and led the way, weaving through the crowd to meet the bashful girl he had been keeping company all evening. Elsa engaged in heavy conversation right away, something she only did when formality became the perfect distraction from outside influences. Finn, who was content to listen, stood firmly beside her. He watched her features light up without really reaching her eyes and he knew after a few exchanges that she was not 'okay'. There was nothing, besides reaching for her hand, that he could do to bring her comfort in the sea of onlookers.

Thirteen be damned, he stayed with her the rest of the night in silence while she collected herself. When it came time for Princess Callipsa to return to her ship, Finn bowed and said his farewells, thanking them for their attendance. Then, there was nothing else. The party dwindled down to villagers in the courtyard and out in the village. Celebrations would continue throughout the week, but the royals were set to leave in the morning. Except those staying within the castle walls of course, they would be staying for a bit longer.

"I think I'm going to retire to my room. Why don't you stay with your cousins and enjoy the rest of your birthday?" Elsa patted her son's hand as she prepared to rise from her throne.

"Are you sure?" He watched carefully, fully expecting her to change her mind.

"Absolutely." That was that. She kissed his forehead, said goodnight, and disappeared into the crowd completely.

Finn joined his cousins in lively jig that made them look more adequate at the dance than the drunkards attempting the steps. Laughter continued on throughout the night but it did not reach Elsa's room, for she had boxed herself in her father's old study. Thick ice ran up the walls and covered the doors, keeping anyone out who might try to get in, and snow covered everything. How long it had taken for the anger and frustration built up inside to finally break through her careful command. She was not one to break down because she had been pegged the jilted lover, but rather the one to finally cave in privacy when the burden became too much. She was still too much in control of herself to let it storm like before. At least outside the fjord was not frozen over, but inside the quiet darkness of the study, a queen shook with the unraveling of her broken heart.

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**Okay, I had to focus on Elsa romantically, just a little bit. If you thought that Rolland was being insensitive or a huge dick, that's totally okay. If you also thought that this chapter lacked a little action, then that's cool, too, because next chapter is going to be HOT. I promise. Anyways, thanks for all the support! **


	7. An Unforeseen Flame

**Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review! **

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_An Unforeseen Flame_

No one knew about Elsa's personal crisis after the ball. She had erased any evidence the next morning, which included a clean sweep of the room and a facial touch up. When she appeared in public with her adoring husband, the King, accompanied by their guardsmen, not a soul saw the concealed rawness of red beneath her blue eyes. In fact, she had been in good spirits since they had left the castle. Elsa interacted with every villager that approached her, a vibrant and lifelike figure of authority among the people who had raised her up. She smiled and laughed, genuinely having a good time roaming the village with the King. The people responded positively as they went out of their way to comment on how lovely a couple they made.

_So_ in love.

(Despite the political arrangement that brought them together.)

_He's not so bad. _Elsa thought as he continued talking about his voyages with a few other men. She noticed how he lit up during his ecstatic retellings of far off voyages at sea. It was so different, he was so different.

When they had met thirteen years ago, Riordan had been immature and arrogant. His initial introduction included mussed up hair and three day old clothing. He was basically a smelly vagabond in posh clothing, or at least, that was what Elsa and Anna had agreed on. Later that year they married. It was short, somewhat private, but celebrated everywhere. Some protested that it was too quick, that there was very little time for the couple to learn about one another properly, but Elsa did not argue. She had responsibilities as a Queen to her people and so long as there was an heir within nine months of their marriage, she could care less about anything else that Riordan did. Running a Kingdom with a child due and the father absent was easier than she had imagined, which was surprising. No one insisted that the King should be present for the birth because Elsa did not demand it. He wrote to her and that was enough. She conceded long before their vows that he needed the separation from a marital Kingship and did not force the matter. Elsa could rule just fine without a man beside her. So, when he returned every now and again, she always approved his requests to return to sea to voyage with his men. He needed it, and she needed him to be gone. Out of the picture.

It only mattered to her when she began to notice his neglect towards their son. She fully expected Riordan to make his stay much more permanent in years prior to Finn's thirteenth birthday, as most father's would leap at the opportunity to grow with their heir and teach him all about the necessities of ruling a kingdom. Instead, that hardship fell to Elsa, Kai, Kristoff, Anna, and Rolland. Everyone who should have played a minor role in Finn's growth as a Prince became the only major people in his life. The King had a lot to make up for, but Elsa mentally confessed to herself that he was trying.

Since his birthday, even days before, the King had actively taken control of Finn's morning routines. They rose together, ate breakfast, practiced swordplay, and studied what Kai left in lessons. What made it more enjoyable was the fact that Riordan was allowing Finn to take the lead and show him the ropes. In the days that followed Finn's birthday celebrations, there was less and less chatter from her son about how much he loathed his father's being home. In fact, he had taken to his father in a manner that was not only brisk, but expected entirely. The sea-faring had been an obstacle, a mere delay, in the healthy relationship of a father and son. Although, Riordan would never replace what Elsa had with Finn. He reminded her every chance that he saw his mother. Even if it was across a crowded room he found a way and that usually entailed a gesture: he placed his right hand over the spot on his chest where his locket rested. She picked up on it easily enough and it became their way of communicating without really saying anything at all.

"He's a smart boy." Said the King one evening as he joined Elsa in her study.

"He always has been." Elsa mumbled as she rifled through paperwork.

"I think he gets that from you."

Elsa looked up at him, gazing at the man leaning against the fireplace, a great silhouette of a King that needed time to become a man-and to a greater extent-a father. Rolland's words reverberated in her mind each time that he was in her presence: you can love him because the two of you make sense. It was partially true, but only because she had allowed him a few inches within her personal bubble. They were still strangers with a lot of learning to do, but she suspected that he did love her a great deal without voicing it. Then again, she also suspected that he knew about her indifference towards him. He never brought up the subject of children or the duties of a wife in the marital bed, because it would only cause her an upset. She respected that about him and had even come to care about him, but not in the way she cared for Rolland. Despite all that he had said, she could not fully remove her heart from the situation. Neither could he. They shared glances, very meaningful, very sad, and at times, somewhat very happy. When the realization of her unfortunate position hit her, she retreated to her father's study and unleashed a world of snow and ice upon the already beaten up den.

There was no greater suffering to Elsa than the boxed in seclusion of one's own feelings.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" The King looked to her expectantly, as if he had asked her a very important question in the middle of her intense thinking.

"I said that he's asking to train with you. To use his powers in a battle, as a second line of defense." Riordan approached her desk and took a seat in the chair across from her.

"Is that even fair?"

"I don't know. We could always ask the man who wrote the rules on war, but I think that's far too inconvenient." The King laughed. If anyone had written the rules on what was appropriate during war they would be long dead by now.

"Oh, right. We'll see." She said, returning to her mass of paperwork. More and more nobles wrote to the Kingdom with the impending declaration of an alliance through marriage. Some asked after Edith, some after Thomas, but most sought out Finn. These people were determined and much too persistent. Violent, even.

"What's gotten you all riled up?"

"What makes you think I'm all riled up?"

"You've frozen at least three papers solid." The King moved forward and pick up a stack of frozen solid letters. Elsa gasped, reaching for them hurriedly and failing to confiscate the evidence of her lack of control from the King.

"I'm so sorry. I lost my focus, it won't happen again." She stammered.

"Sorry for what? It's a little ice," he laughed. "I'm not afraid of you, Elsa."

If he had said it any other way, in a daunting or cocky fashion, she might have given him reason to fear her. However, the way his eyes dimmed and his voice melted smooth over the softness of his words, she found a bit of comfort there…and butterflies.

"I think I need to turn in for the night." She sighed and slumped into her chair. Her eyes followed him as he stood up, offering his arm to escort her to their room. They may not have "touched" but they shared the same bed. After all, they were married. Sleeping in separate rooms would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

"If you had not already suggested it, I would have said it myself."

Together they made their way to the bedroom in a comfortable silence that filled the space between them. Once settled in their sleep wear, they turned in for the night: Elsa resigned to one side and Riordan on the other. It was not long until the sands of sleep took her under into a nearly impossible dream, or what would become a nightmare.

In her dream, Elsa stood at the edge of a cliff that spilled off into a dark and endless precipice. The light cast down around her was blood orange and dark, crimson red; like fire. Smoke billowed around the area, which revealed dark shadows of strange men in alien uniforms pushing helpless people off either side of Elsa's daunting cliff. She watched feebly as familiar faces tumbled silently over the side, and she, suddenly shackled by the resurgence of horrible memories, unable to save them from plummeting.

She might have woken from screaming or sweating, but instead there was Rolland shaking her awake with the background of a raging fire surging behind him.

"We've been attacked!" He yelled, his voice already louder than the sound of licking flames against curtains and dry walls. Rolland was already covered in a fine film of grunge and grime. He even appeared to be injured by the way his left leg was wrapped up and bleeding.

"Just pick her up!" Riordan commanded. He was already moving on the other side of the room collecting himself in a pair of trousers and an old shirt with boots. Without question, Rolland gently scooped Elsa up into his arms and followed the King out into the burning hallway. Bleary eyed and nauseated, Elsa swatted at Rolland to let her stand.

"Put me down." She said weakly. This fire would be easy work.

Unfortunately, the second that she attempted to make it snow or ice over, she collapsed to her knees. Head heavy from smoke and her skin feeling drier than dead grass, Elsa panicked. She could not make her magic here.

"Carry her, she can't stand!" Riordan shouted, jumping out of the way of a falling picture.

This time, when Rolland lifted her, she did not protest. The entirety of her body screamed out with pain and nausea. Perhaps this is what it felt like to be dehydrated. And perhaps this is exactly what it felt like to watch your nightmares become reality. She was as useless now as anyone else in her position.

"FINN!" She screamed, almost falling out of Rolland's grip. "Where is he?! If I can't make my magic, he can't either! We have to find him!"

To their horror, they all scrambled down the hall where the worst of the fire was and broke into Finn's room. Breaking in wasn't necessary as it was already crippled from the strength of the fire. Elsa, horrified, felt her heart drop.

"He's not here."

"FINN! FINN, WHERE ARE YOU!?" She called out, thrashing and kicking like a wild woman. Riordan glanced at the pair of them and kicked in at the door, walking straight into the flames. He avoided anything that might catch him on fire as he searched the room. Elsa gripped Rolland for dear life as he looked, struggling to stay awake in the haziness of her affliction.

"He must have snuck out. Maybe he's in the other wing!" Riordan roared above the fire, gesturing for them to move on.

"I have to find him!" She screamed. If not for her inability to create the magic welled up inside, she could have made tears but instead there was only dry, choked sobbing. Where was Finn? Was he alive? Where had he gone off to in the middle of the night? She should have checked on him before going to bed. How lazy of her! She always checked on him.

"No! You have to get out of here. I'll go and find him. Take the servants entrance out." The King pointed to a door in the far off corner that had not been barricaded by the wreckage of the fire.

"He's my son-!" Once again, she scrambled again out of Rolland's hold and forced herself to stand.

"He's my son, too. You can't go after him, not in your condition!" The King shouted, taking her pale face in his hands and pressing his forehead to hers. She felt her heartbeat quicken even though it was loaded down with the impending anxiety of her son's unknown whereabouts.

"Find Anna. Make sure they're safe, too."

"Riordan, I can go and find him. You two need to escape." Rolland interjected. Elsa, if her heart had not already felt heavy enough, was now swimming in a cesspool of guilt, fear, and sickness.

"You're injured," Riordan pointed at Rolland's leg. "You won't beat the fire in time. Take her to safety and then find your men. We need to stop this before it spreads." Before Rolland could argue again, Riordan took off in the opposite direction towards the East Wing of the castle. Left to squander in their failure, both Elsa and Rolland made it through the door of the servants entrance. It led to the kitchen, which was halfway burned through, and then out into the empty training grounds. Rolland did not wait for Elsa to run and instead carried her the rest of way.

Out in the village a gaggle of onlookers watched the castle go up in smoke and flame. Embers danced into the sky with the stars in a terrifying, yet fascinating, display of an enemies attack on Arendelle.

"The Queen made it out!" People shouted.

"Queen Elsa!" Gerda cried as she removed her own cape and placed it around Elsa's expose shoulders. Kai joined her side in a matter of seconds, obviously upset.

"Most of the servants made it out." He said lowly, indicating a group of men and women consoling one another. Beside them, some people kneeled, far too grieved, and sobbing into articles of burning clothing that must have belonged to someone inside.

"I need to find my men, will you be alright?" Rolland knelt before her, sincerity and sadness welling in his eyes. Elsa wished she could have touched his face, anything to share some form of consolation, but could only nod. She was too numb, too scared, to feel anything properly.

"Finn is still in there." She croaked and sunk into Gerda's arms. She was weak, not even physically, but mentally as well.

"Elsa! Where is my sister? ELSA?!" Anna? Anna made it out?! Elsa jumped up, newly rejuvenated by the sound of her sister's voice.

"I'm over here!" She called out, watching as her sister spotted her from across the way. They must have taken a back exit. With her she had Thomas, Kristoff, and Edith, followed by a a few guards and a good amount of servants. Some appeared injured, others were carrying them but otherwise okay.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Anna breathed as she embraced Elsa.

"Did you see Finn?"

Anna stood stock still. That was not a good sign.

"Did. You. See. Finn?" Elsa pulled away, speaking slowly and holding her sisters gaze.

"No." She whispered meekly.

_No. NO. NO. NO!_

Something twitched inside of Elsa, something dangerous. It was like being ripped away from her body and experiencing the transformation from above. In the seconds that it took Anna to back away, Elsa had all but frozen the villagers. The ground was covered in crystal; death-like icicles shot up from the earth and raced towards the castle building with the intent to freeze anything in its path. Elsa, eyes gone white, enveloped herself in a storm that would have put the Great Freeze to shame. Her people, terrified of the fire and now their Queen, backed away screaming. She could not hear them above the bellow within the eye of the storm. Her focus, all of her concentration, rested on the burning building that had taken her son and her husband. Someone would pay. Whoever had done this, whoever had been ordered to set fire to the Queen's livelihood, would suffer the consequences of a furious and inconsolable Queen the likes of which no man would ever wish to see.

_My son…my husband…gone. GONE! _

"Someone stop her!"

"She's going to kill herself!"

"What is she doing?!"

"Wait! Elsa, stop! Stop, it's raining!"

Was that Anna? What did she say? It was raining? Elsa stopped, suddenly coming to and seeing what damage she had done. All forms of pikes made of crystalline ice poked through the ground and through the castle walls. It had not reached the fire just yet, but sure enough, it was certainly raining. Elsa was so transfixed on the sight of tiny droplets that she barely heard the exasperated voice of a young boy calling for her. But the louder it became, the harder it was to ignore. He had made it out. Finn had made it out.

"Mom! Mom, I'm okay!" Elsa saw him, about thirty feet away, and could not help but run to him. The second he was in her arms, she felt herself breathing again, and…Oh how it burned! Her lungs filled up with the smoke in the air but she could care less. Finn was safe, soaked from head to toe, but safe nonetheless. She stroked his hair, squeezing him tight, and kissing his face until he told her to stop multiple times.

"Where is your father?" She said hopefully, looking up and searching the faces of the people surrounding her. Guards took up arms with buckets of water, splashing it over the castle walls, and villagers scurried to help them, but not one face looked anything like Riordan's.

"I didn't see him." Finn said dolefully.

"Your Majesty," a guard approached her. "The roof caved in on one side of the East Wing. I was unable to reach him before it happened…"

Elsa covered her mouth with both hands. Finn latched onto her tightly, gripping her shaking middle and ducked away to hide his face from the world. The King didn't make it. He was almost within reach, but the roof collapsed. There was no mistaking the word of a witness, not when he had seen the entire thing take place right before his very eyes. People had to know, it was in their faces as Elsa skimmed their expressions. They looked to her now in the wake of this tragedy, they always have looked to her, so there would be no tears. She needed to be strong, strong the way she could not have been within the castle to save her husband. Patting Finn ever so lightly, Elsa knelt before him.

"Frederick," she said evenly. "Finn, I need your help. We have to put out this fire."

Her son, red-eyed and hazy with sleep, nodded his head and followed her to the gates. It took more than enough time to dull the fire and even longer to bring it to a cinder. By then the castle had been halfway devoured and incapable of habilitating the royal family. An innkeeper offered them the residence as an entirety, giving the family full run of the place for no cost at all. Elsa only agreed if she could pay him for every night that they stayed. He disagreed, but they came to a bargain. After damage control, which entailed the inspection of every corner of the castle, Elsa retired to the inn where Finn had fallen asleep with Gerda in a chair beside him. It was nearing dawn when exhaustion finally hit the Queen, but her worries were not over yet.

"Queen Elsa, Captain Rolland wishes to speak with you." The inn keeper waited outside her door with his little wife and showed her to a meeting room where she was let in.

Among a few other guards, Rolland stood at the forefront in his armor; both physically and emotionally. His face gave little away to what he must have been feeling inside. She wondered to herself whether or not the loss of his best friend had nearly broken him the way she almost had if Finn had not made it out alive. If that was the case, he must have been in pain.

"My Queen. We came across a spy." Stepping to the side, Rolland revealed the figure of a shriveled up, young man with eyes bulging from his soot covered face. "I believe that he might have been part of a group behind the attack. He's not from around here. He was dressed as a servant when my men found him, but none of the remaining servants recognize him."

Elsa observed the strange man. He was skinny, dark-haired, much too gaunt and frail to be in her service. A pallid face like his would have been easily remembered.

"Who sent you?"

The man did not speak.

"I will not ask again." She seethed, slamming both hands onto the table and sending an icy drift his way. The man shivered in fear.

"Witch!" He cried. "WITCH!"

"Take him out of here. Chain him up and keep him with you. If he starts to talk, I want to hear about it." Elsa ordered, backing away from the table as the man continued to speak gibberish about witchcraft and demons. The guards dragged the hysterical man out of the room, leaving Rolland behind with the Queen.

"Is Finn-?"

"He's fine. Sleeping. Gerda is with him." She said sharply, averting his eyes purposely as he tried to speak.

"Are you-how are you?"

"Tired, but I'll be okay. How is your leg?"

Rolland sucked in a deep breath, his voice hitching, "I should have gone. I should have made him leave with you."

"Stop it. Don't start that." Elsa met his eyes, hiding what it was that she really wanted to say but could not yet convey out loud. She was glad Rolland was alive. However terrible Riordan's death had been, she felt that it would have been wrong if Rolland had died instead. "There's nothing we can do except seek justice for what has been done."

"Elsa-"

"_Your Majesty._" She said coldly. Rolland stiffened, narrowing his eyes at her like an angry wolf.

"I lost him, too, Elsa. Not just you."

_I know that, Rolland. _She wanted to say, but instead it came out more like: "You're dismissed, Captain."

Yes, Rolland was safe. More importantly, Finn was safe. Everyone she cared for was safe and within reach. The King had made a dire choice in a desperate situation and Elsa could not make herself feel responsible for his death. There had been an assassination attempt that had claimed nearly a dozen lives, maybe more. The body count increased with each hour that passed by. For now, with the enemy wrapped up in chains and heavily guarded, Arendelle could sleep peacefully. Elsa would investigate and once she knew who had tried to kill her entire family, they would pay. War was at hand and in order to groom her people for it, she needed time. There would be plenty to do in the next few weeks and even months, but for now she only needed to be one place: next to Finn. She had come too close to losing her son and any time lost with him at this point would be a crime to her as a mother. So, she returned to her room, newly exhausted, and collapsed on the side he had not taken up.

Then she slept.

She slept for a long time. Darkness, emptiness, and the vastness of loss expounded upon her mind and she did not dream.

She could only sleep.

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**I planned on killing him off, I'm sorry. For those of you who thought something like adultery was going to happen, I'm sorry. I am such a bad person for telling you all that this chapter was going to be hot...but it's not like I lied. It was HOT. Just not like you might have thought. Anyways, I think I need to plan out what I want to happen next. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing it. **

**Thanks for all of your continued support! **


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